Mine-field puzzle.



A. S. DOYLE.

MINE HELD PUZZLE. APPLICATION mm JAN-23,1911.

1,297,451. Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

"Z Q 3 1' I 3 k 2 As' oyie AMBROSE S. DOYLE, OF SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS. 3

MINE-FIELD PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed January 23 191%. Serial No. 143,901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMBROSE S. DOYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sharon, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine-Field Puzzles; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a puzzle and has for one of its objects the provision of a device of this character, which is to represent a body of water having mines therein and a harbor, and to solve the puzzle is to pass an obstacle representing a ship between the mines into the harbor without engaging the mines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a box or receptacle having a false bottom with a plurality of openings to represent the mines and a substantially U-shaped member at one end thereof torepresent the harbor, thus a ball or the like representing a ship is started rolling on the false bottom from the other end by inclining the box or receptacle in the hand to endeavor to place the ball in the harbor without falling in the openings representing the mines.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a puzzle of the above stated character, which shall be simple, durable and efiicient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

Vith these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a puzzle, constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a substantially rectangular box or receptacle, the walls of which are to represent the banks or shore of a body of water. A pair of spacing strips 2 are located at each end of the box or receptacle 1 for supporting a false bottom 3 in spaced relation to the bottom of the box or receptacle 1 and is provided with a plurality of openings 4 to represent a plurality of mines. The false bottom 3 represents the body of water. The openings 4 are arranged in staggered relation with each other making it more diflicult to solve the puzzle, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

A substantially U-shaped member 5 is mounted upon the false bottom 3 which rep resents the body of water adjacent one end thereof and has its mouth or open end disposed adjacent one of the end walls. The substantially U-shaped member 5 is to represent a harbor. A. transverse strip 6 is secured to the false bottom 3 adjacent the opposite end from the harbor 5 and is to represent a wall. Between the strip 6 or the wall and the end wall of the receptacle or box 1 is to represent a safety zone or starting point in which upon starting to solve the puzzle is positioned a ball or sphere 7 to represent a ship. The box or receptacle 1 is held within the hand and by inclining the same in various angles, the ball representing the ship is rolled over the false bottom between the openings representing the mines until the ball. has successfully passed into the harbor or the substantially U-shaped member, thus solving the puzzle. If the ball happens to fall within one of the openings 4, by rules of the game, it is necessary to replace the ball at the starting point as falling into the openings represents that the ship has been sunk by a mine.

iVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

A puzzle or game comprising, a rectangular box, the side walls of said box representing the shores of a body of water; a false bottom arranged within said box and in spaced relation to the bottom of said box; said false bottom having a plurality of apertures therein representing mines; a U- shaped member secured to the false bottom and dis aosed agent ne end all of the in testimony whereof I aflix my signature box; szud: U-sha'ped member jhavirrg its free presence oftwo'" Witnesses. end's' directed toward the adjacent end 'Wa'll and a transverse strip secured to the false BR DOYLE 5 bottom adjacent theuop 'oositeend Wallmof wvitnessesf the box and adapted to form a safety zone J HN W. RICH, to receive a, ball. PATRICK M. CONLEY.

Copies of; this patent mgy be pbtained 101". five cents ea/chwbyagldressing the Commissioner of'latents, Wgshington, D. G. 

